Al Harrington has been working all summer concentrating on the positives.

That's why he was unfazed by Friday's news that the Hawks' proposed sign-and-trade deal sending him to the Indiana Pacers had died after weeks of negotiations
Hawks combo forward Al Harrington is the final big-name free agent on the market.

Now that Al Harrington won't be going to the Pacers, what should the Hawks do next?
Get somebody who can help them now.
Keep building for the future -- get a good draft pick.
Help the guy get a deal he likes and the Hawks will get something good in return.
"I'm just ready to know where I'm going to be playing next year," Harrington said by phone. "The Indiana deal was something that I really wanted to do. I was looking forward to it since it's a place I'm so familiar with. But it didn't happen, and you just have to move on."

The Golden State Warriors, Denver Nuggets, New Jersey Nets, Los Angeles Lakers and Minnesota Timberwolves, all teams that have been in the Harrington mix from the start, have picked up their pursuit of the last high-profile player left on the free agent market.

"I want to be somewhere I'm wanted, and these other teams are really interested," said Harrington, a 6-foot-9, 245-pound combo forward who averaged 18.7 points and 6.9 rebounds last season while serving as one of the Hawks' co-captains. "I feel like I can make an impact with any of those teams, whichever uniform I end up wearing. But ultimately, you have to go where you are wanted."

Friday's developments ended a month-long saga that would have returned Harrington to the Pacers franchise that drafted him with the 25th pick of the 1998 draft, the team he spent the first six NBA seasons playing for and the city his mother and father now call home.

The proposed deal was struck its fatal blow when the Pacers declined to agree to the terms — Harrington was to be signed by the Hawks to a six-year, $57 million deal and then sent, along with John Edwards, to the Pacers for a future first round draft pick.

After agreeing to negotiate the deal in that form, the Pacers came back this week seeking a shorter deal, four years, and for far less money, $36 million, than initially discussed. They also balked at taking back Edwards, a third-year center with a guaranteed $1 million contract for the upcoming season. The Hawks also had sought to add $3 million in cash to the deal at one point, yet another sticking point for the Pacers, but later agreed to do the deal without that as part of the package they would get for Harrington.

Atlanta Spirit CEO Bernie Mullin confirmed Friday night that the Hawks don't have a deal in place with the Pacers or "any other team." He said that Hawks general manager Billy Knight and Harrington's Los Angeles-based agent, Arn Tellem, are working on new possibilities. "We're looking for a deal that's in the best interest of the Atlanta Hawks and Al Harrington," Mullin said.

Those new deals also could be shorter than the six-year deal Harrington was seeking at the start of the NBA's free agent negotiating period, which began July 1. At least two of the teams, Golden State and Denver, are believed to be willing to discuss six-year deals in the $60 million-to-$65 million range, which would net Harrington $10 million or more per season.

But even if they were interested in doing four years instead of six, they'd still be willing to pay Harrington a salary in the $10 million per season range. The Pacers, armed only with a $7.5 million trade exception, could offer Harrington a starting salary of only $7.6 million.

I don't know if I should worry or not... on one side, I want him signed. On the other, I worry about having yet another overpaid player that can't play defense. And if we were sure he was going to play SF, great, but I'm also concerned about the minutes he would stole from Ike...

question, Migya. If the choice is keeping Murphy, taking major minutes from Ike and having Dung and Pietrus splitting the SF, OR moving Murphy and Peitrus, having AH at SF and Ike at PF, you still say no?

question, Migya. If the choice is keeping Murphy, taking major minutes from Ike and having Dung and Pietrus splitting the SF, OR moving Murphy and Peitrus, having AH at SF and Ike at PF, you still say no?

If that is the ONLY option, Harrington gets no more than 10 million a year for no more than 3 years and he can play SF not PF for the team, then yes, I'd give it a go. All three are IFS

Now that the deal has fallen through and Harrington and his new agent, Arn Tellem, have opened the process back up entirely, it's time for new options.

The Hawks must decide if they're going to rethink their position of not taking on contracts and must come up with a scenario that makes sense for the long-term benefit of the franchise. Letting Harrington walk without getting anything in return is the only bad option.

So while we all wait for a new "imminent" deal to emerge, why not consider these three new options?

Hawks trade options

• 1. Do a sign-and-trade with the Lakers for Chris Mihm, Aaron McKie, Brian Cook and a future draft pick.

Mihm is making $4.2 million this season, McKie $2.5 million and Cook just $1.5 million. All three are in contract years, meaning the Hawks would have the option of re-signing them if they fit in well with their young talent or letting them move on at season's end. The draft pick is the cherry on top.

• 2. Do a sign-and-trade with the Nuggets for Joe Smith, a future first-round pick and $3 million in cash.

Smith is another solid veteran power forward in a contract year. He'll make $6.8 million this season. The $3 million essentially cuts his salary in half, and the Hawks still get the draft pick they covet.

• 3 Sign-and-trade Harrington and send him to Golden State for Mickael Pietrus, Zarko Cabarkapa, Andris Bierdins and a future draft pick.

Convincing a team to give up three young and relatively inexpensive talents, all three in contract years, and a draft pick would be the steal of the century for the Hawks. But if the Warriors are as eager to get their hands on Harrington as has been rumored, maybe itճ more than just a pipe dream. Pietrus ($2.5 million) Cabarkapa ($2.1) and Bierdins ($1.9) would fortify the Hawksՠroster at three different positions (small forward, power forward and center) without busting the budget. The draft pick is gravy.

Please... three players and a pick for Harrington?. And why not J-Rich?, now that we're willing to give them anything. And maybe Baron and Ike, too... now that would be the steal of the century...

Have these so-called journalist ever heard of leaving their bias aside when writing?

yup - Murohy and Pietrus for Harrington is fair. That dude's scenario is more far-fetched than any of the trades proposed on this board

Just more garbage from garbage

Must mean it's time to take out the trash. Don't see why journalist these days make up horrible trade ideas. Idiots need to get their facts straight. No team is that dumb to give that much talent away and a future pick for jus A player. Not playerS...player.

Must mean it's time to take out the trash. Don't see why journalist these days make up horrible trade ideas. Idiots need to get their facts straight. No team is that dumb to give that much talent away and a future pick for jus A player. Not playerS...player.